CNN Psychoanalyzes Conservatives, 'More Sensitive to Fear'

By

Matt Hadro

November 12, 2012 - 11:44pm

No wonder why CNN's ratings are low[1]
– they're diagnosing a large part of their potential audience with a
disorder. A CNN guest "expert" said conservatives' brains are more
susceptible to fear and claimed many are suffering from "post-election
stress disorder" brought on in part by the conservative media.

"And the amygdala, the region of the brain that processes fear was much
larger in people with conservative beliefs. So that means they're like
more sensitive to fear," asserted human behavior specialist Dr. Wendy
Walsh during an appearance Sunday night.

"[W]ith due respect to my colleagues in the more conservative
press, I think they really didn't tell the truth about what was going
to happen and the numbers," she added. "They wanted to seem that Mitt
would win in a landslide. And many people were shocked to find out he
didn't."

Anchor Don Lemon tried to prescribe a cure for these poor victims of
fear, like "What about becoming friends with a liberal?" Walsh
chuckled, "Well, that may be down the road. Let's not rush things,
Don." Yes, depressed conservatives are presently incapable of making
liberal friends.

Was another one of Lemon's prescriptions turning off talk radio? He
suggested "probably trying to figure out why they were so revved up and
possibly who revved them up so much to have this sort of this letdown
and feeling. That would be a good place to start the examining of what
your feelings are."

Yes, conservatives, you may be distraught to comical proportions at
Obama's re-election. But don't worry, CNN has diagnosed your "disorder"
and is here to help.

A transcript of the segment, which aired on CNN Newsroom on November 10 at 10:17 p.m. EST:

DON
LEMON: Naturally, some people were upset this past week when Mitt
Romney lost the election. But some seemed more than upset. A
conservative author wrote this. "At the moment, I am convinced America
is doomed beyond all hope of redemption and any talk of the future
fills me with dread and horror."

All right, Wendy Walsh is here, again, human behavioral expert,
specialist here. So Wendy, for some, this goes beyond just being angry.
I mean, America died? What are we hearing here?

DOCTOR WENDY WALSH, human behavior specialist: Well, I don't want to
discount for one minute how real these symptoms are. I was on talk
radio the other night and some of the callers were expressing major,
not only emotional distress but even physiological symptoms --
vomiting, sleep disturbances, unable to eat, like real, real emotional
distress from this. So, we should not discount that and we can't laugh
about it. This is very, very serious. And I call it post-election
stress disorder.

And I think, Don, there are probably a couple of reasons. One is, you
know, with due respect to my colleagues in the more conservative press,
I think they really didn't tell the truth about what was going to
happen and the numbers. They wanted to make it seem not even like a
close race. They wanted to seem that Mitt would win in a landslide. And
many people were shocked to find out he didn't.

LEMON: Yeah, it's – I've watched and usually people, I'm not saying
that they weren't gracious. Mitt Romney was very gracious. But usually
people are very gracious when they lose. And I didn't see that from
everyone. But again, I do have to say Mitt Romney himself was very
gracious. But not all of his supporters were that gracious. And it was,
you know, it was surprising to see, I think.

WALSH: Well, the other piece, Don, is actually physiological. Remember,
we did a story a while back on brain scans of people who have
conservative beliefs versus people who have liberal beliefs.

LEMON: Right.

WALSH: And the amygdala, the region of the brain that processes fear
was much larger in people with conservative beliefs. So that means
they're like more sensitive to fear. And in fact the statistics prove
out. When people who tend to vote conservative have a perception that
there is a threat to national security or that that's a big part of the
campaign speeches of their candidates, they tend to come out to the
polls in bigger numbers. Fear is what motivates them. So to have this
kind of shocking loss can really stimulate their fear center. So,
before I just say, yes, this is a real problem and yes, it's happening,
Don, let's not forget to say that there are ways that we can heal and
we can help.

I wouldn't say, usually I say venting and talking about it is good, but
that let's people to ruminate in the fear and it doesn't leave their
head and it increases the stress. Exercise, we know, is very good to
reduce stress. Charity, altruism, helping people, close healthy family
relationships, get close to your family.

LEMON: What about becoming friends with a liberal?

WALSH: Well, that may be down the road. Let's not rush things, Don. I
think, you know, forcing people to do something out of the ordinary for
them is not the thing to do. I think they need to get stability back in
their life, understand that their breakfast didn't change that next
day. Their workday was pretty much the same and to understand that
this, you know, coming of the end of the world that their fear may have
vacillated into is not real today and it probably won't be real in the
near future. So, getting back to close relationships and family and
love is what's important here.

LEMON: And probably trying to figure out why they were so revved up and
possibly who revved them up so much to have this sort of –

WALSH: Oh, yes.

LEMON: -- letdown and feeling. That would be a good place to start the examining of what your feelings are. Dr. Wendy –

WALSH: But it's real, Don.

LEMON: And the world keeps spinning, though. That's the good news, as you said. Thank you.

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